The Book of the Marauders
by iyoku-chan
Summary: What happens when Harry fnds a long forgotten book of letters between thr Marauders? Why has Remus never told Harry of the book? What can the book finally reveal about harry's father and Sirius when they were in school? Post OOTP
1. Findings

Summary: What happens when Harry finds a long forgotten book of letters between the Marauders? Why has Remus never told Harry of the book? What can the book finally revealed about Harry's father and Sirius when they were in school? Post OOTP  
  
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER! If I did, I wouldn't have killed Sirius…-tears-  
  
Chapter 1 –Findings-  
  
Harry checked the Marauders map once more, carefully placing the locations of the professors and his fellow students, the ones who weren't off having fun in Hogsmeade. All were a long distance from the fourth floor corridor where Harry now stood. Harry shoved the Map into the front pocket of his robes and turned towards the mirror. He leaned forward and said "dissendium", waiting for the mirror to show the way into the secret passage beyond it. Nothing happened.  
  
Harry furrowed his brow, wondering why the secret word was not working. He leaned over and tried again, saying the word a little louder and with more force this time. Still nothing. He heard loud voices coming from around the corner and quickly checked the Map to see who it was. While Harry was still consulting the Map, two particular red headed twins came around the corner, laughing about their latest prank.   
  
Harry was surprised to see them, as they had quit Hogwarts last year, in quit the memorable fashion. He never expected to see them back, walking the halls like they were heading to class. "Hey guys," he said, causing them to jump. Obviously they had not expected to run into anyone.  
  
"Oh, hi Harry, why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" Fred asked, George nodding beside him.  
  
"Yeah, this is a Hogsmeade weekend, right? I mean, its Halloween weekend, it always has been before!" George piped in.  
  
"Yeh, it's a Hogsmeade weekend, but I got in trouble in Snape's class, and well, he forbade me from going to Hogsmeade this weekend as my punishment…I decided to check out this passage to see if I could get through it. Snape's got an idea that there is a passage by the one-eyed crone. He is walking past there every half-hour to check on it." Harry showed the twins the Map, which now showed Snape walking along the third-floor corridor, right towards the statue.   
  
"Oh, wow, that sucks. Oh well, good luck with this passage. We never actually tried to clear it out before, but maybe you could manage. The password for this one is 'releval', not 'dissendium'. Well, bye." Fred and George began to walk past Harry, but he stopped them.  
  
"Hey, why are you guys here, anyways? I thought you guys were gone for good."  
  
Fred shook his head, looking annoyed. "No, our mum is making us come back to finish out our last year. We have to go talk to McGonagall about it. If we are indeed allowed to return, which Mum thinks it likely because almost everything that happened while that old bat Umbridge was here has been forgotten, we need to work something out with McGonagall about our store. We refuse to give up after such hard work to get it going. And it is going, very well, in fact. But Mom says we at least need our degree, so here we are."   
  
"Oh, well that's cool, I guess, as long as you don't have to give up your store. Have you told Ron you're here? Although, he is in Hogsmeade right now., so you wouldn't be able to see him or anything."  
  
"No, we came this weekend specifically because it's a Hogsmeade weekend. We don't want to see anybody just yet. If we come back, we want it to be a surprise. That way we can pull a few jokes on everybody before all the Houses put themselves back on guard against us. You have no idea how hard it was becoming for us to pull a good prank. Everybody was too wary to walk into our traps…expect Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, of course. But pranking them got a bit old, really quick."  
  
"Yeah, easy targets are boring. There's no challenge, no excitement. We need some better targets." The boom of the clock in the entry announced the hour, and Fred and George look at each other. "Well, Harry, we must be off. We really do need to see McGonagall. See you later." The boys set off down the corridor.  
  
"Oh, and Harry," George yelled back. "Be careful." He winked then, hurried to catch up with Fred. Harry watched the twain disappear, laughing, around the corner.  
  
Harry checked the map one last time and whispered "releval" at the mirror, waiting for the reaction. The glass shimmered and melted, reshaping to reveal a doorknob, which Harry seized and turned, pulling the mirror open like a doorway. Cautiously, he stepped through.  
  
The passageway began as a huge cavern, easily the size of the Quidditch Pitch. He briefly thought that this room would have been perfect to use for the DA if they didn't have the Room of Requirement last year. At the very far end, Harry could see a pile of rocks stacked all the way to the ceiling and his heart fell. The pile was gigantic, much like the pile that separated Harry from Ron and Professor Lockhart when they were looking for the Chamber of Secrets. Harry would be no more able to move this rock pile than he was able to move that one. Maybe I could get Ron and Hermione in here to help me, if we looked up a good earth-moving spell, Harry thought. But even if he did, it would have to wait till later, after the Hogsmeade visit was over. He turned away from the rock pile and back to the door.   
  
Once again, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map, always extra careful to check corridors before climbing out. He never wanted to repeat the experience when Snape had almost caught him climbing out of the statue in his third year. Lupin put himself one the line for him then, and he never wanted to make anyone have to do the same again. He glanced at the map, something moving catching his eye. The dot that bore the name 'Harry Potter' was walking towards the eastern wall and had a little speech bubble over it saying "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are the best". Remembering how the map had showed him how to open the third-floor Hogsmeade passageway in the same manner, Harry did what the map said, walking over to the eastern wall and saying "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are the best".  
  
A small piece of rock slid aside in the wall, revealing a good-sized hole with some stuff in it. Harry put down the map and looked inside the hole. There was a leather-bound book, a rolled up piece of parchment, and a smaller book that looked to be a photo album. Harry sat down and began pulling these items out, carefully examining them before putting them down and grabbing the next.   
  
Author's Note: This is my first attempt at Harry Potter fanfiction, what do you guys think? Should I keep going? I have four chapters planned out so far, and that's only the beginning, so I will keep posting them, but reviews always help me write faster . So yeah, I hoped you enjoyed the story! More will be up soon. Iyoku-chan 


	2. Caught

Chapter 2 –Caught-  
  
The small book Harry pulled out was indeed a photo album, filled to the last page with pictures of the Marauders in their school days. There were pictures of them grinning outside of their Transfiguration classroom, McGonagall frowning at them in the background, pictures of them doubled over laughing in front of the Fat Lady, and many more pictures of them in various places throughout Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, most of them showing the four boys laughing hysterically or pointed and shushing each other, obviously watching some new prank playing out. Harry thumbed through the album, marveling at the pictures of the four boys, so completely the best of friends. It made him slightly depressed to know that of all of them, Remus was the only one who survived Voldemort so far. Well, unless you counted Wormtail, but he was as good as dead to Harry, who fully intended to kill him the next time they met. Harry set down the album and reached for the next item – a rolled up piece of parchment.  
  
Pulling off the ribbon tying it up, Harry read the title, Marauder's Best Moments, and sighed, realizing what he held in his hands. He scanned down the list, the very long list, and confirmed his suspicions. He held the list of every single prank the Marauders ever pulled at Hogwarts, individually or as a group. Harry wasn't surprised that nearly every other person named as the victim was none other than Serverus Snape. 'God,' Harry thought, 'my dad and Sirius were apparently not plagued with the problem Fred and George have. Nor do they get tired of playing pranks on them same people.' As Harry scanned the list further (it really was very long), he grinned as he noticed the few times his mother appeared as one of the victims, though appearances of her name became fewer as the list continued. After scanning the list to the end, Harry set that aside too and turned his attention to the largest item in the cubbyhole – the leather-bound volume.  
  
Harry had to nearly drag the book from its resting place because it was so heavy. It resembled one of the tomes Hermione considered "light reading" from the library. In other words, it was almost the size of Harry. The book had no title, nor did it have any writing on it whatsoever. He turned the book over and examined it further. It was definitely worn, belying extensive use for whatever purpose. Harry opened the book to find no title page or any writing in the book whatsoever. "Strange…why would my dad and Sirius and Remus keep a book here with no writing in it…?'   
  
Suddenly, an idea came to Harry, who pulled out his wand and lightly tapped the front page, saying "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Just like on the Marauder's Map, a curly script appeared on the page of its own accord, reading   
  
…Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs present…  
  
THE BOOK OF THE MARAUDERS  
  
Harry turned the page and saw what looked like letters, addressed from one member of the foursome to either another member, or the entire group. He couldn't believe his luck. Ever since he looked in Snape's Pensieve, Harry had longed for a reason behind his father's behavior, and now one simply landed in his lap. He heard a far off noise and closed the book, listening carefully. The clock in the courtyard was tolling the hour, telling him he was past curfew. Harry quickly stood up and grabbed the book, shoving the other items back into the hole.   
  
Then he ran. He ran to the exit and pushed the mirror open, closing it quickly, thanking God he hadn't encountered anyone in the corridor. In his rush, he had not checked the Marauder's Map before he entered the corridor. But Harry stopped mid-prayer, when he spotted a particularly nasty Potions Master coming around the corner, one who spotted Harry instantly.   
  
"And what, pray tell, are you doing out of bed, Mr. Potter?" Snape snarled, his eyes glinting with sick amusement.  
  
"I…uh…I lost track of the time, sir. I am going to the Tower now." Harry replied, praying that just once, Snape would let him off.  
  
No such luck. "Now, now, Mr. Potter, we mustn't have the famous Harry Potter out of bed after hours. We wouldn't want him to lose his precious sleep time, would we? What are you carrying?" Snape finally noticed the large tome Harry held under his arm and he seized it, looking it over and opening it up.  
  
"Professor Lupin gave it to me, sir. It came by owl a little while ago." Harry hoped Snape did not give the book to much attention, for he would most certainly take it from him.   
  
But Snape did no such thing. He merely slammed the volume shut and handed it back to Harry. "Now, Harry, if you spent your time studying your Potions rather than writing in blank journals given to you by werewolves, maybe you would actually be able to gather enough brains to pass my class. Twenty points from Gryffindor for being out past curfew. Now get to your Tower." Snape growled at him, turning to go the way he came.   
  
Harry looked down at the journal he now held once again. He didn't understand. Snape hated his father and Sirius, and would never have hesitated to take anything that the Marauders left from Harry, probably to burn it. And what was with the comment about the blank journal? He knew the journal was blank before he said the password, but he had never bothered to wipe it clean, either. The writing, if it worked like the Map, should still have been there for Snape to see. Harry opened the book, and sure enough, the letters were still there. Harry shrugged and closed the book, running to Gryffindor Tower to tell Hermione and Ron what he had found, and to ask their opinions of Snape's weird behavior.   
  
Author's Note: Well, here ya are – the next chapter. Hmm…the plot thickens! Well, sort of. I'll have the next chapter up soon guys, promise! 


End file.
